Will Barton would participate in slam dunk contest if asked

Nuggets guard Will Barton goes up for a dunk during the Nuggets game at Indiana on Saturday. (AP Photo/Doug McSchooler)

The question took Will Barton by surprise mostly because it was nowhere near his radar.

Would he want to be in the NBA’s Slam Dunk contest?

The short answer is yes.

“I mean, if they asked me, I would do it,” Barton said. “It’s just how I feel about it. But I don’t have too many feelings about it.”

Barton has thrown down some of the nastiest dunks of the NBA season, including this one against the Houston Rockets on Nov. 13 at the Pepsi Center.

Minnesota’s Zach LaVine won last year’s dunk contest, and there are other worthy candidates like Orlando’s Aaron Gordon. Barton said he has done dunk contests in his basketball past — and won them — and wouldn’t mind bringing that to the NBA’s All-Star Saturday night.

But he’s not pining over it or thinking about it much.

“It’s a great atmosphere,” he said. “If they ask me, fine. If they don’t, that’s fine, too.”

Follow Chris Dempsey on Twitter @dempseypost or email him at cdempsey@denverpost.com

Chris Dempsey arrived at The Denver Post in Dec. 2003 after seven years at the Boulder Daily Camera, where he primarily covered the University of Colorado football and men's basketball teams. A University of Colorado-Boulder alumnus, Dempsey covers the Nuggets and also chips in on college sports.